The Rider and Her Fury
by Dragon-Girl-Laughing
Summary: Nanta was taken from her home as a child. Raised by Night Furies, going on raids with the dragons, fighting and killing on the side of the dragons, she has become known as the Night Rider, a demon in the night.
1. Prologue

Nanta was taken from her home when she was just two years old. She was taken by a Night Fury who saw something in Nanta that he didn't see in any other human. This Night Fury, Thurn, brought baby Nanta to the nest, where she was cared for by him and his mate, Deste. Thurn and Deste had one child already, and her name was Pitch. Nanta and Pitch were of the same age, and bonded quickly. Nanta was never scared of her dragon family, or any of the other dragons in the nest. She learned Dragonese as her first language, and was able to speak to the dragons with it. When she and Pitch were five years old, they got a little brother named Racari.

Growing up with dragons made Nanta tough, strong, an excellent fighter. When they were old enough, their father started bring them on food raids at human villages. They never took anything, the Night Fury was the invisible force that was there to help the other dragons.

At ten, Nanta was found by the Berserker chief after hunters killed the parents she knew, leaving just her, Pitch, and Racari. The chief adopted Nanta, cared for her, taught her English. She kept going on raids with her brother and sister, the Queen wouldn't just let her stop. Nanta became second in command to the Queen, alongside Pitch.

Now twenty years old, Nanta has made a reputation for herself among the humans, all over the Archipelago and beyond. She was deemed a traitor to humanity, a demon in the night that children feared and warriors loathed. She was known as the Night Rider, and they say that if you saw her, you were already dead.


	2. Wicked Grin

**Nanta**

It was one of the rare occasions Nanta was actually at Berserker Island, she chose to spend the majority of her time at the Nest or just simply elsewhere. This was because, among other things, she couldn't stand her insufferable adopted brother, Dagur. She was older than him, even if not by much, but he picked on her and bullied her. She did the same to him.

"Sister!" Dagur called as Nanta landed near their hut. "Finally decided to pay your dear brother a visit?" Nanta got off her Night Fury, Pitch, and took her masked helmet off, holding it under her arm.

"Don't excite yourself, I only here to get something." She pushed past Dagur and went into the hut, letting Pitch give him a whack with her tail. Nanta closed the door after her dragon came inside, and let out a sigh.

" _Why do you keep returning here?"_ Pitch asked, her Night Fury Dragonese accent sending chills down Nanta's spine. _"That child is reason enough to leave."_

" _I know."_ Nanta sighed. She turned to search what she had come for.

 _"Racari does not like us coming here, says it is dangerous and foolish."_ The dragon huffed, putting her head on her paws.

" _Maybe he is right, but he does not control us."_ She pulled a journal off a shelf and flipped through it. There were no words in the journal, as Nanta could barely read or write. Instead, it was filled with drawings and maps. This particular journal was about the island of Berk, which was the destination of the next raid. The Queen often sent the dragons to Berk, as it was near to the Nest and the humans living on it were rather stupid. They were also merciless warriors, and Nanta had had more than a few close calls with death.

 _"I feel we should go soon if we are to be on time to Berk."_ Pitch suggested. Nanta looked through a window at the sky to see the brilliant orange and red of the sunset quickly fading to purple and blue. The girl nodded and slipped the small journal into its pocket under her dragon-scale armor, buckling it shut after tucking in the pendant hanging around her neck. She opened the door and walked out of the hut with Pitch close behind. They both ignored Dagur's taunts as Nanta put her helmet on. That is, until he threw a knife at her. She dodged it, and it stuck into a tree.

"Oh I **know** that wasn't aimed to me." She put her hand on her blade, ready to draw it. Pitch growled at Dagur, but the wicked grin across his face didn't falter.

"Ya know, I could totally stop you from leaving this island." Dagur warned, crossing his arms. Nanta ignored him and mounted Pitch.

"Just try, _you little shit."_ She finished the sentence in Dragonese before Pitch took off. Dagur shouted after her, and she replied with an obscene gesture.


	3. Dragon Slayer

**\--Nanta--**

The flight was long, but both dragon and rider enjoyed it. they always did. It was a time to talk openly with each other, or just to enjoy the rush of cold air and the accompanying silence. For now, they chose to talk.

" _For the morning, the raid, how do you think we should go about it?_ " Pitch asked, pushing her enormous wings down.

" _We should hang back, avoid combat if possible._ " Nanta absently rubbed her mostly healed shoulder.

" _Nanta I told you to take it easy, dislocation can happen again._ " Pitch let out a smokey huff.

" _So you have said. And I am taking it easy._ " She picked her feet up and stretched them out behind her, lying on her stomach. " _Anyways, I think Racari should take the lead on this one, he needs to increase his speed."_

" _He is still young, he will grow more."_

 _"Will he, though?_ " Nanta put her chin on her hands. _"You were so much bigger at his age than he is now._ " Pitch only rumbled in response. They were near to Berk, and Nanta got the rush she always did before a raid. As the solitary island came into view, Nanta could see that the other dragons had already arrived. Nanta sat up on her dragon and held on, bent forwards as Pitch reached break neck speed. The sun was getting ready to show itself on the horizon, so the girl knew the cover of night would not last very long.

Shooting past the guardian statues, the pair flew up high. They reached the village, and Pitch fired once at a watchtower to tell Racari and the other dragons that they had arrived. The deep red blast buried the tower, sending men screaming and diving off it. Nearby, another tower was similarly blasted with Racari's blue. Pitch turned and flew towards their brother, hovering high up, facing each other.

" _How is it going?_ " Nanta asked the younger dragon.

 _"I have just arrived, myself, but it looks to be going fairly ok."_ He said, flapping his wings hard.

" _Alright_." Nanta said, satisfied. " _Racari, can you do it all today? My shoulder is still healing_." Her brother's eyes smiled. Nanta sent him off, and watched from high up as he darted around. He flew towards a quiet part of the village. Pitch instinctively followed, protective over Racari. Nanta studied the island below with piercing, keen eyes. Racari blasted another, empty, watchtower, and it lit up a very small boy and a large weapon of some sort. It took Nanta a second too long to realize that the boy was aiming the weapon at the young Night Fury.

" _Racari_!" Nanta called out in warning. It was took late, the weighted ropes hit him, and he shot out of sight. " _No_!" She roared.

" _We must find him!_ " Pitch said, turning to the direction he fell.

" _Drop me near the boy, you go find him_." Nanta pointed to where the skinny lad was running away from a Monstrous Nightmare.

 **\--Stoick--**

Stoick the Vast looked up and groaned. His son was running and stumbling, pursued by a Nightmare. Stoick turned to the other men who were holding down the Nadder.

"Do not let it get away!" Stoick shouted, dropping the net and running after Hiccup. Stoick caught up to him as he hid behind a lamp's post. The Nightmare fired, spreading around the post. It stopped, and Hiccup looked around. The dragon was coming up behind him when Stoick reached it, punching it in the head. Stoick straightened up and adjusted his helmet as the dragon fired again. Nothing came out, and the Chief smirked.

"You're all out." He said, rolling his shoulders. He walked forwards and punched the underside of the beast's jaw once. While winding up for another hit, a figure jumped between him and the creature. Stoick recognized it to be the Night Rider. He growled and picked up a sword from the ground. Even through her mask, Stoick could see her deadly blue eyes.

"Not today, Dragon Slayer." The girl said, taking her own blade out.

"Night Rider." He growled, wasting no time. He swung at her, and she used both hands on her blade to block. Stoick could see it in her eyes as his blade clashed with hers, her sword arm was injured. She swung out and up, leaving his blade free, and her body exposed. Stoick aimed for the gap in her armor, just at her waist. She turned and backed away enough that his cut wasn't terribly deep, but it was enough to make her gasp. She regained her composure in a second, and just as Stoick was raising the sword, she sliced with Fury, efficiently cutting his blade in half. Not wasting a moment, she sheathed her sword and grabbed the Nightmare's leg as it took off.


	4. A Mighty Roar

**-Nanta-**

The gash on her side hurt terribly as Nanta gripped the Monstrous Nightmare's leg.

" _There!"_ Nanta pointed to where Pitch was circling. She called out to her dragon, who responded in kind. Pitch turned and flew towards the Nightmare, stopping below Nanta. Nanta let go of the leg and landed on her dragon's back, hissing as her side screamed.

" _You are hurt?"_ The concerned dragon asked.

" _I'm fine. Did you locate Racari?"_ Nanta gripped the gash on the left side of her waist with her right hand.

" _No, the trees are too dense."_ Pitch flew up high to avoid the humans' attacks.

" _I will search for him on foot, then."_ The dragon gave a disapproving grumble. _"After I tend to my injury."_ Her Fury warbled, content.

" _I will put you down and tell the dragons to end this raid."_

" _Ok, but you should leave with them. It will be hard for you to remain hidden here."_ Nanta looked to the east. The sun was breaking the horizon now.

" _No. I will not leave you here."_ The rider sighed.

" _Pitch, he might be injured. I will find him, and care for him until he is well."_

" _I do not like this. What if a human finds you?"_ Nanta put a reassuring hand on Pitch's head.

" _I will not get caught. I never get caught."_ She smiled slightly.

" _Alright. If I see Racari at the Nest without you, I_ _ **will**_ _come."_ Nanta nodded. Pitch angled towards the ground, diving slow enough as to not alert the humans as to their presence. They landed in a small clearing in the approximate area where Racari landad. Nanta stumbled while dismounting. She opened the saddle bag and took out a bandage strip and pad.

" _Go, I will be ok."_ She said when she saw the concerned look on her dragon's face. Pitch nudged her chest, and Nanta rubbed the top of her head affectionately. Then, Pitch turned and took off, leaving her rider in the cold forest. Once she was alone, Nanta let out an involuntary groan. Clutching her side, she searched for a water source. Finding a small stream, she sat on the edge. She took her helmet off and dropped it on the ground, dropping the bandages in it. She stripped off her upper body armor and untucked her tunic. Lifting it up, she looked at the bleeding gash on her waist.

"Shit." Nanta said, in English. She untied the rag around her wrist and dunked it in the cold, clear water. She cleaned the wound and wrapped the bandages over it. Putting her tunic back down and putting her armor back on, she grabbed her helmet and took out her journal. Opening to a finely detailed map of the island, she located where she was and set out to find Racari.

* * *

It had been hours, but Nanta was having no luck in locating Racari. As she was just cresting a hill, she heard a mighty roar up ahead. Forgetting the pain in her side, she ran towards it, donning her helmet and stashing her journal. Then she saw him. Racari had the skinny boy pinned to a rock, roaring in his face. If she recalled correctly, the boy was the Chief's son. Racari got off the boy and ran in away, to Nanta's left. Instantly, Nanta ran after the dragon, and watched as he crashed into trees. He was definitely injured. She ran as he crashed into a cove. Scrambling down the rock face, Nanta went over to where Racari was frantically trying to escape. When he felt a presence behind him, Racari turned and fired. Nanta jumped out of the blast, rolling to a stop. She jumped up and took off her helmet, dropping it to the side.

" _Racari, calm down."_ she held her hands out defensively. _"It's me. It's Nanta."_ The dragon calmed, pupils widening. He came towards Nanta, and she put her hands on his head gently.

" _I'm sorry, Nanta."_ Racari said, closing his eyes. Nanta sighed.

" _What happened, brother? Where are you injured?"_ She asked, dropping her hands. He turned back and looked at his tail.

" _The rope."_ Nanta went to the end of his tail and knelt down, looking at the jagged edge where his left tail fin was ripped off. She put her hand on it and sighed. This injury would leave Racari helpless in flight for sure.

" _Why did you spare the boy?"_ Nanta asked through gritted teeth. Racari didn't answer, only huffed some hot air in her face. _"Why?"_

" _He spared me, sister. He could not find the place in his heart to kill me."_

" _But he also shot you down."_ Nanta stood and grimaced as her side sent shivers of pain through her body. She gripped the pain with her hand tightly.

" _That is true, but I think that just the same as him, I could not find it in my heart to kill him."_

* * *

 **Hi hello, there will possibly be a double upload today, as I finished this chapter early, and I feel like I have the chapters too short. Will eventually have them longer, still just getting into the full swing of this story :)**


	5. Icy Blue Eyes

**-Hiccup-**

It had been a day since Hiccup's first encounter with the Night Fury. Now, he was looking at what appeared to be a black scale. Hiccup sighed and stood up. He took a few steps forwards, going out onto a stone ledge overlooking the Cove.

"Well this was stupid." Hiccup said, sighing again. Suddenly, the enormous black figure of the Night Fury shot up past him. Hiccup gasped and stumbled back. The beast flapped its wings wildly while clawing at the stone. It pushed away from the wall and landed roughly. Hiccup grinned, giddy with excitement to see it again. He looked closer at the dragon on the ground and saw a figure on its back. He didn't get a good look before the dragon flapped furiously again, leaping into the air. It rolled uncontrollably before crashing hard, sending the figure rolling across the ground. Hiccup looked harder and saw that it was the Night Rider. Even though he had never seen her up close, there was no one else it could possibly be. Excitedly, Hiccup took out his journal and opened to a blank page. He quickly sketched in a drawing of the Night Fury. Hiccup watched the girl slowly get up from the ground, clutching her side, looking to be injured. He looked back at the dragon, who was again clawing at the walls of the Cove, trying to get out. After crashing again, the dragon gave up and went to the edge of the pond.

"Why don't you just… fly away?" Hiccup asked no one. He looked back down and saw what looked like a conversation between the Night Rider and the dragon. Hiccup saw why the dragon couldn't fly off, it was missing half its tail fin. He reached over and erased the left fin from his drawing. Hiccup sighed and put his hand down. His charcoal slipped from his hand and rolled down the rock, falling into the Cove. Reaching after the long gone pencil, he looked to see both dragon and Rider looking straight at him. His eyes locked in with the dragon's, and they stared at each other, unblinking.

 **-Nanta-**

The boy had made to move to indicate that he wanted to hurt Racari, or Nanta. He simply stared at the dragon, frozen with curiosity. The air buzzed with a feeling she could not describe. Nanta clutched her side, holding back a cry from the pain after she had been thrown off Racari. The boy suddenly got up, putting his journal away and hurriedly leaving the overlook. Nanta stood to chase him, but was stopped by Racari jumping in front of her with wide eyes.

" _Please, Nanta."_ He said softly. She sighed and looked at the spot where the boy had been. She nodded and Racari let her pass. She went to where the pencil had fallen, and picked it up. She sat down on the ground and took out her journal, opening to a blank page. Nanta began furiously sketching the skinny boy, not wanting to forget what he looked like. If he could make Racari like this, she knew there had to be something different about him. She drew everything she could remember about him; the limp hair, round nose, wide mouth. Drawing with this kind of charcoal was new to her, she was used to just having a chunk, holding it directly, not on a stick like this was. Racari sauntered over and sat curled around her as she drew. Along with the boy, she drew detailed sketches of the Cove, and added it to her map. The sky was going dark when a pang in her side reminded her of her wound. She put her hand on it, and felt that the bandages had soaked through again. She sighed and took her armor off, taking out the last clean bandage. Lifting her tunic and unwrapping the blood stained cloth, she tightly wrapped the new bandage around her torso, carefully layering and tying it off.

* * *

When the sun had long set and the moon was high in the sky, Nanta climbed out of the Cove and silently headed towards the village. She needed to find medicine for her wound, and fresh bandages. She had her journal wrapped tightly in its waterproof wrappings in its pocket, as it had been raining since early evening. Looking at her mental map of the village, she figured the best place to find medicine, but certainly not the easiest, would be the healer's hut, high up above the village. She'd get caught, no doubt. Maybe the forge would have supplies she needed. Yes, she would go there. Nanta checked to make sure none of her armor or her sword rattled when she walked. The pouring rain had her soaked through. Creeping around the edge of the village, she slowly made her way towards the forge. She was happy to see that it was dark and cold. She checked to make sure there was no one around, she dashed across the village center, quiet and invisible. Sheltered by the forge's overhang, Nanta took off her helmet, put it on a table, and began her search. The forge was a cluttered place, tools, material, and half finished things covered every surface, and more were hanging from the ceiling and walls. The rain was letting up, and she soon found herself in near silence. Nanta could see fairly well in the dark, better than most humans, so she could locate what appeared to be a medical chest. It was, however, empty of bandages. There was only a jar. She picked it up and opened it, immediately recognizing the potent smell of Willow Bark cream. She reached in, but found rock hard cream. It had all dried up, and she didn't want to guess how long it had been sitting in that chest.

" _Come_ _ **on.**_ " Nanta exclaimed, slamming the jar onto the table with a bang. The fast motion sent pain shooting from her side, and she gripped it, gripping the table with the other hand to steady herself. She suddenly heard a chair scraping across the floor in a side room.

 **-Hiccup-**

"Gobber?" Hiccup called, getting out of his chair in his little workshop. Why would Gobber be here so late? It was usually just Hiccup's thing. He heard a crash and a girl's voice speaking? It was more like roaring or rumbling. Then, Hiccup knew it wasn't Gobber. He grabbed a lit candle, opened the door and went into the main room of the forge. Even from the dim light of the candle, he could see the Night Rider kneeling on the ground next to some fallen tools. She was clutching the left side of her abdomen. Hiccup almost panicked. This person had killed and hurt Berk's people.

"Why, why are you here?" Hiccup shakily asked. The girl looked up at him with her icey eyes. Hiccup had never seen her face before, she had been wearing her helmet before, and now, her fiery red hair struck him. Along with the long scar going up the right side of her face. Without a word, he entire demeanor changed, and she stood up. Hiccup took a small step backwards, and she did the same. Suddenly, she turned and ran out of the forge.

"Hey!" Hiccup called after her, taking a few steps, but she was gone. Hiccup sighed and looked down at the fallen tools, and the open chest on the table. He went to the chest and picked up the jar sitting next to it. It was the old Willow Bark cream he was too scared to ask Gobber about. So, she was injured. Hiccup put the jar back in the chest and closed it. He set his candle down on the table and put the chest back on the shelf. He turned to picked up the fallen tools when something caught his eye, shining in the fire light. Hiccup picked up the candle and went to the other table, placing it down there. Hiccup then picked up what he realized to the the Night Rider's helmet. Hiccup looked at it with wide eyes, shocked to be holding the thing that kept the Rider protected and anonymous for all those years. Hiccup looked out into the darkness, and he could have sworn he saw those icy blue eyes staring back at him.


	6. A Forbidden Friendship

**-Nanta-**

Nanta cursed herself as she went back to the Cove, empty handed and helmetless. Racari was fast asleep when she returned, so she climbed into the small cave in the stone face to get out of the mud and rain. She knew this would be another sleepless night. She took her sword off, and stripped soaked armor off as well, leaving her in her sopping wet tunic, leggings, and boots. She took out her journal and made sure it hadn't gotten wet, and opened it to the page with the drawing of the skinny boy. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Any other human would have not hesitated to drive an axe or sword through her, but he made no move to even show that he was thinking of it. She added more details to the drawing, now that she had seen him closer. The freckles, the lopsided eyebrows. Nanta sighed deeply and relaxed against the stone wall of the cave.

Nanta sat the rest of the night thinking about the skinny boy. As soon as the sun reached over the horizon, shining into the Cove, she went and stretched out in it so her clothes could dry properly. Racari came over and stretched, waking up.

" _Did you find what you went searching for?"_ He asked, but knew from her expression that she didn't.

* * *

Nanta and Racari stayed in the sunny spot of the Cove, having to move in the afternoon to the other side, on top of some boulders. Nanta had he sword in its sheath, casually lying beside her, but she did not have her armor on. On her back, she fiddled with her pendant, tracing the runes with her thumb. 'LH'. She didn't know why those runes where on it, or anything about besides the fact that she'd had it forever, probably since before she was taken.

" _Racari."_ Nanta said, breaking the silence. The dragon opened one eye. " _Last night, I went to the forge to find supplies. The skinny boy found me after I had knocked over some tools. My wound was in much pain, and I was on the ground."_ she paused, looking at the sky. " _If he had been any other human, I would be most likely dead. I now understand what you mean about him."_ they were both quiet for a moment before Racari huffed.

" _Good."_ Was all he said, closing his eyes again.

 **-Hiccup-**

Hiccup slowly approached the Cove, shield in one hand, fish in the other, and the Rider's helmet under his arm. He stopped and peered into the Cove, not seeing the dragon or Rider. He tossed the fish forward, and it slid to a slimy stop. Nothing happened, so Hiccup walked forwards. He was stopped by his shield, wedged between the boulders. He tried to pull it out, but it was really stuck. He took his arm out of the shield and ducked under, then pulled on it. He sighed in defeat, adjusted the helmet under his arm, then went to pick up the fish. Warily looking around, Hiccup heard a huff, and he turned to see the Night Fury crouched on the boulder above him. The Rider was beside the dragon. Hiccup realized that she was not wearing armor. He didn't get much chance to think about it though, as the dragon jumped down from the rock and approached him. He swallowed hard and held the fish out. The dragon growled at him, and the girl jumped down from the rock, hand on her sword. Hiccup realized that he had his dagger in his waist belt. He reached for it, causing the dragon to growl more, and the girl to ready herself. Hiccup reached over and took his knife out, holding it limply by the handle. He dropped it on the ground, and the dragon huffed. Hiccup got it on his foot, and tossed it into the water. The dragon dropped it guard, sitting back like a dog. Hiccup offered the fish , holding the helmet in his other hand. The dragon came forwards, mouth open.

"Huh. Toothless." He said, confused. "I could have sworn you had…" Sharp teeth suddenly appeared in the dragon's mouth, and it snatched up the fish, tipped it's head back, and swallowed it whole. "...Teeth." Hiccup recoiled, startled by the sudden change. The dragon started towards him, moving like a cat, and he retreated nervously.

"Uh, no. No, I don't have any more." Hiccup fell back against a rock, the dragon towering above, dropping the helmet next to him. He looked over at the Rider, she had what may possibly resemble a smile on her face. Looking back at the dragon for a tense moment, Hiccup became less nervous. Then, the dragon heaved, and regurgitated part of the fish into Hiccup's lap. Disgusted, Hiccup grimaced and looked at the dragon, then the girl, who was now properly smirking. Hiccup realized what the dragon wanted him to do, and picked up the slimy fish. He sighed and took a disgusting bite, keeping it in his mouth. The dragon swallowed, and Hiccup deflated. He reluctantly swallowed the fish, twice, and forced a smile up at the dragon. It looked at Hiccup for a moment, then mimicked him. Hiccup put the fish down and reached out to the dragon, who growled and dashed off, gliding to the other side of the Cove before crashing. Hiccup looked at it until he heard the sliding of metal in a sheath. He looked at the Rider to see that she had let go of her sword, and stood holding her side. He remembered the helmet, and the medical supplies inside. He picked it up and stood, slowly moving towards her.

"I, I saw you were looking for Willow Bark cream last night." Hiccup nervously said. "I brought you some, with some bandages." Hiccup held out the helmet, but she recoiled. "Take it." She didn't make a move. "Can you even understand what I'm saying?" Hiccup said, almost frustrated. There was a silent moment.

"Yes, I do." The Rider said, straightening herself. Hiccup smiled.

"Take it. You need it." Hiccup held the helmet our again, and she hesitantly came forwards and took it.

"Thank you." She said, taking out the bandages and jar of cream. Hiccup studied her as she sat on the ground, lifting her tunic above the blood soaked bandages. She was skinny, but very muscular, her right hand was wrapped with leather, but on her left, Hiccup could see scars. There was also the scar going up her neck and right side of her face. She unwrapped the old bandages and threw them aside. Hiccup looked away as she put the cream on the wound, it almost made him gag. After wrapping the new bandages around her waist, she stood, picking up her helmet and the jar of cream. Hiccup watched as she walked to the pond and cleaned her hands. She still had her sword strapped to her back, even when she had changed the bandage. Her fire red hair was up in braids. She walked back over to where Hiccup was sitting after storing away her helmet and cream. She sat across from him, and finally took off her sword. There was silence for a bit.

"What's your name?" Hiccup finally asked, extremely curious. She paused.

"Nanta." She said, looking at him with her cold eyes, which seemed warmer than before. "What is yours?"

"Hiccup." He said, smiling. "Hiccup Haddock." Nanta produced a small leather book from a pocket and opened it. She took out Hiccup's charcoal.

"Can you write for me here?" She asked, handing the book to him, pointing below a detailed drawing of himself. Hiccup stared in awe at the seating, it was incredible.

"You drew this?" Nanta nodded. He wrote his name below the drawing, and found himself curious about the contents of the rest of the journal. "Can I look?"

"No." She said, taking the journal back and standing up. She was still wary about him. She looked at the Night Fury, sadness in her eyes.

"Where are you from?" Hiccup asked, standing, unable to contain his curiosity. She bent down and casually picked up her sword, putting it over her shoulder. "Have you always been with the dragons?" She ignored him. "How do you communicate with them?" Still nothing. "Why do you hurt people?" She seemed to snap suddenly, turning and coming towards Hiccup, getting right up in his face. She was taller than him, and it scared him.

"I do what I need for survival." She growled, brows furrowed. "You won't understand what's that like, as son of the Chief." She jabbed Hiccup in the chest were her finger, pushing him back. "Ask again, you will get answer." She turned and walked away.


	7. Outcast

**Sorry for not updating in a few days, was going to on Friday, but I'm in New England and the storm knocked out my internet.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

 **-Nanta-**

Nanta knew she shouldn't have snapped at Hiccup, but he hit a nerve with the questions he was asking. Nanta sat perched on a boulder, watching Hiccup trying to get near Racari. He sat down near Racari, who then moved his tail to ignore Hiccup. Hiccup reached towards the tail, and Racari snapped at him, startling Hiccup to standing and clumsily walking away. Nanta scoffed and smirked at knowing that Racari was still wary about the boy, just as she was. Racari sulked away towards a tree, and Hiccup sat on a rock in defeat, facing away from Nanta. Sighing, she slid off the boulder and walked towards him, stopping a few feet behind him.

"Why you did help me?" She asked, mindlessly playing with her pendant. Hiccup turned, startled and flustered.

"I uh, well, I, I, I saw you needed help, so I did." He stuttered, running his hand through his hair.

"But why?" Nanta pressed, crossing her arms. "You could have left me dead. Was your father that did this, after all."

"I know, I just couldn't. Felt wrong to not help you." He looked at her with his sea green eyes, utterly sincere in his statement. They were both quiet for a bit, and Nanta looked at Racari, who was sleeping from a tree.

"His sister not be happy when she see what happened to him." She said, pointing to Racari. Hiccup looked amused.

"He has a sister?" He asked, smiling.

"Older, age like me. I bonded with her when child. We are like sisters to each other." Nanta smiled sadly.

"Where is she now?" Nanta closed her eyes.

"Safe." She said quietly, holding her pendant again.

"What's on your necklace?" Hiccup cautiously asked. She opened her eyes and quickly tucked it into her tunic, out of sight.

"It nothing, just runes, don't matter to you." She took a step backwards. Hiccup sighed.

"You don't trust me very much, do you?" He asked, looking sad. Nanta turned away, looking towards Racari again. "Look, I don't know what I need to do to get you to trust me, but I'm trying." She ignored him and sat down on a nearby rock. Hiccup gave up and picked up a stick. He began drawing in the dirt. Racari sauntered over and sat up behind Hiccup, watching him draw. The dragon walked away on his hind legs and snapped a sapling with a snap. Holding it in his mouth, Racari stuck the broken end in the dirt and walked around, drawing a large, swirling line.

Turning about, he whapped Hiccup on the head with the leaves. He looped behind Nanta and between Hiccup and her once more before dropping the tree and sitting up, satisfied. Hiccup stood and looked around in awe. Nanta stayed perched on her rock as Hiccup took a few steps. Racari growled when he stepped on one of the lines. Hiccup picked up his foot, and Racari cooed. Putting it back down earned another growl, but picking it up got more cooing. Finally stepping over the line, Racari seemed at ease. Nanta watched as Hiccup picked his way through the lines, turning all about to make sure to not step on any.

There was lightning in the air as Hiccup stopped, his back just inches away from Racari's chest. Nanta got off the rock and walked around the lines, towards them. She tensed as Hiccup turned towards Racari and reached towards him. The dragon growled slightly, and Hiccup pulled his hand back. He turned his head away and slowly reached out again. For a moment, everything in the Cove was still, then Racari cautiously put his nose up against Hiccup's hand. Nanta smiled, it was a beautiful thing to see. Racari pulled back, wrinkled his nose, and dashed away.

 **-Hiccup-**

Hiccup watched the dragon hurry away. When he turned back to where he had been, Nanta was now standing in his place, smiling. Her icy blue eyes were now like a soft snow as they stared at him. He had just earned more, if not all, or her trust. She nodded slightly and motioned for him to walk with her. He did, following a step behind. He followed as she left the Cove.

"Where are we going?" Hiccup asked, stepping over a fallen tree. Nanta ignored the question and began climbing up steep boulders, seemingly unaware of her injury. Hiccup struggled with climbing up, and she reached her hand down to help. He took it, hesitantly, and she pulled him up. Hiccup suddenly found himself washed in red and purple light from the sunset.

"Woah." He said as Nanta sat on the edge of the boulder. The sunset was beautiful from this spot.

"Come. Sit." She said, looking at Hiccup. He went and sat beside her. They watched the sun set in silence, just taking in all the beautiful colors. Only when the sky was dark and the quiet of night had fallen did he speak again.

"Do you, do you trust me now?" Hiccup asked, looking at Nanta. She looked back at him, her eyes seemingly glowing in the early moonlight. She smiled softly.

"Ask what you want, I will answer most." She said quietly. Hiccup hesitated, unsure of what to ask.

"Where are you from?" He finally asked, leaning back on his hands. Nanta sighed.

"I don't know actually where, I have been with them since I was baby." She motioned down towards the Night Fury. "Father found me, brought me to Nest." Hiccup's mind buzzed. His father never spoke about it, and neither did he, but Hiccup knew he was not his parents' first born child. There had been a daughter before him. "I been told I'm from North somewhere. Far from here." Hiccup's heart sank. So much for his hope that she could even slightly possibly be that girl. She was long dead anyways. "Don't matter if I know or not now, I never able to go back." Nanta closed her eyes.

"Why not?" Hiccup was really curious. She paused before answering.

"I, was, few years ago, stripped permanent of any tribe name." She finally said, pulling her hair back away from the back left side of her neck. There, Hiccup could see the white scar of a burn. He looked closer and saw that it was a branding. He leaned back and looked at his lap, ashamed that he asked, but still curious.

"So you're an Outcast?" He cursed himself for pressing further. She didn't seem to mind, though.

"Not like maniacs in Outcast Island, but yes." She sighed in a tired way. "I'm Outcast from human kind." Hiccup looked at her and saw that she was biting her lip, eyes closed.

"I'm sorry, Nanta, I didn't mean to…"

"It getting late. You should go." She stood up, holding her injured side. Hiccup stood as well. He saw from the expression on her face that this conversation was one hundred percent over, so Hiccup turned and left without another word.


	8. A New Tale

**-Nanta-**

Yet again, Nanta got no sleep that night. Long after Racari had hidden away for the night, she stayed awake sitting in the small cave, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. Nothing would be the same after all of this. She just knew it. Racari seemed to be bonding with Hiccup, even if Hiccup was the one to permanently disable him.

Nanta picked her head up, and some hair fell in front of her face. She sighed and undid her braids. She instantly regretted it. The fingers on her right hand didn't have enough dexterity to redo the braids right then, Nanta just knew it.

"Shit." She sighed, letting her thigh length hair hang freely. She thought that maybe she might be able to get it into one large braid instead of the intricate weaving she had it in normally. After running her fingers down her hair to get some knots out, she managed to get it in a messy braid over her left shoulder. She tied it off and stood up, hissing at the sudden pain in her side. Leaning against the side of the cave, she waited for it to stop. When it finally did for the most part, Nanta pushed off the wall and climbed out of the cave with her journal. She sat against a rock and looked up at the stars. Their beauty never got older boring to Nanta. She was normally awake at night, sleeping during the day, and passed the flying time by studying the patterns.

Nanta sat and drew the stars until the sun hid them away and the day was beginning. She closed her journal and put it on the ground beside her before standing and going to the edge of the pond. She scooped up cold water and splashed it on her face to clean it. Racari walked over while she was rubbing dirt off with her rag.

" _Did you sleep?"_ Racari asked, taking a drink from the water.

" _Of course not."_ Nanta said bitterly, undoing the wrap on her right hand. " _Racari, you know I do not sleep much at all."_ The dragon rumbled and huffed. Nanta looked at the scarring brand mark surrounding her hand and forearm. She dunked the hand into the water, nearly to her elbow.

" _It is still hurting?"_ Racari nudged gently against her left shoulder.

" _It is not very painful, just bothersome."_ She replied, wrapping her hand up again and tying it off tightly.

" _And your side?"_

" _Healing."_ She stood and placed her left hand on the top of his head for a moment before walking back to where she left her journal. She picked it up and went back into the cave. She dropped it next to her armor. She stood looking at her sword for a moment before picking it up and putting it over her shoulder. Shrugging it into place, she grabbed the jar of Willow Bark cream and left the cave. She put the jar on the ground next to the rock and sat against it. More like fell, actually, as her wound had been rubbed from all the moving she was doing, and was in a lot of pain. As she always did for comfort, Nanta took out her pendant and held it in her hand, closing her eyes.

"Hey Toothless!" Hiccup called. Nanta's eyes shot open and looked towards the source. There, she saw Hiccup lugging a large basket and something else. "I brought breakfast!" Racari bounded to him as he put the basket down. "I hope, I hope you're hungry." He kicked it over, spilling fish all over the ground. Nanta pushed herself to standing painfully and walked to them. "Icelandic Cod, even a whole Smoked Eel." Racari hissed and pulled away. "No, no no, it's ok. It's ok!" Hiccup reached in and picked up the Eel, then tossed it away. "Yeah, I don't like Eel much, myself." He turned and saw Nanta standing nearby. He reached inside his best and pulled out a package. He came over to Nanta and held it out to her. "Clean bandages and some food that isn't fish." He said. She hesitated before taking the cloth wrapped package.

"Thank you." Nanta nodded her head in appreciation before turning and going back to the rock. She sat down and took her sword off, laying it beside her. Lifting her tunic, she saw that her bandage had been bled through again. Sighing, she unwrapped it and tossed it aside. Nanta paused and looked at Racari and Hiccup. The boy was crouched near the dragon's tail, and was holding something next to it. She couldn't make out what it was from where she was sitting.

A sharp pain in her side brought her attention back to it. She grimaced and unwrapped the package next to her, then picked up the jar of cream. She opened it and scooped some out, replacing the stopper after. A deep breath escaped her as she spread the cream over her wound. The moment of relief was cut short by yelling. Nanta looked up and saw Racari taking off, with Hiccup holding onto his tail, backwards. She hastily wrapped the bandages over the gash and wiped her hands on her leggings before standing up. Hiccup was holding open what appeared to be a fake tail fin on Racari. Nanta nearly laughed at the sight until Racari suddenly flung Hiccup off, sending the boy crashing into the pond. The dragon wasn't far behind, and they both came to a splashing stop. Nanta ran to the edge of the pond as Hiccup burst out of the water, cheering. He started swimming towards her, and Racari went towards the shore nearest him, on the other side of the Cove.

"It worked! Ha ha!" Hiccup laughed as he trudged out of the water.

"You are alright?" Nanta asked, looking at the sopping wet boy.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, man, I can't believe it worked!" He excitedly ran towards Racari, and Nanta followed. Racari shook the water off himself as they approached. He saw Hiccup and reared back away from him. Nanta paused for a second. "Woah, Toothless! No, no." Hiccup tried to calm him, to no avail. The dragon growled and crouched. Nanta ran and stopped in between them, facing Racari.

" _Hey!"_ She held her hands out in front of her. Racari huffed. " _He is trying to help you, Racari."_

" _He crashed me into the water."_ He glared at Hiccup.

" _You threw him off."_ Racari didn't say anything. " _I began to trust him because you did, do not make it wrong."_ He sighed. " _Besides, he may be our only way off this island."_

"You, you…" Hiccup stammered. "It's true! You **can** talk to dragons!" Nanta turned and glared at him before turning back to Racari.

" _Let him help you, ok?"_ Racari rumbled in agreement, and Nanta stepped aside.

"How can you speak to them?"

"What you mean 'It's true'?" She asked, petting the top of Racari's head.

"Oh, uhm." Hiccup rubbed the back of his head. "There's always stories about you, kind of legends."

"Now this, I need to listen to." She smiled. "Here, come sit in sun." She nodded towards the growing patch of sunlight.


	9. Legendary

**\--Nanta--**

Nanta and Hiccup sat near each other, and Racari lay curled around them, his head beside Nanta.

"So do, do other island have story like you?" She asked, playing with her pendant.

"Probably" Nanta smirked. "They're not really something you should be proud of, at least ours." She looked at Hiccup softly.

" _Get on with it already_." Racari said, picking up his head.

"Shush." Nanta lightly smacked his leg. He settled back down and let out a long, hot sigh.

"So obviously it's true that you can speak to dragons." She nodded as Hiccup smiled. "Is it the same with all dragons?"

"Same words, yes. They do different, the different ways to say them."

"Accent?"

"Yes. Each kind have different accent." Nanta said, toying with her pendant. "Some do also different words."

"Wow. That's incredible." Hiccup pushed some wet hair out of his face.

"What else they say about me?" She leaned back against Racari's side. Hiccup thought for a moment.

"Well, it's been said that if you see the Rider without her dragon, you're going to die." He rubbed his hands nervously. "It's like a bad omen of death or disaster."

"And you do believe in that?" she crossed her arms.

"I sure hope not. You're here, and Toothless is not your dragon." He gestured to Racari.

"Tooth…?" Nanta asked.

"Toothless. I've started calling him that. Unless he already has a name?"

"He has name. Not translate to this language though."

"Oh, ok. Can I call him Toothless still?"

 _"I have teeth._ " Racari said, showing them off.

"Yeah, well, a Terrible Terror is not terrible, nor is it much of a terror." Nanta turned back to Hiccup. "It alright, but I have trouble with saying end of it."

"Less?" She nodded.

"This sound not in my language. Same as…" She pat her knees in demonstration.

"Legs?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." There was quiet for a few moments. "Anyway, is death sign true?"

"Oh, uh. Well, someone who said they saw you was struck by lightning three days later." Nanta had to hold back chuckle. "Another time, this kid, Snotlout, saw you on your own."

"Short kid?" She asked. Hiccup nodded. "I remember him."

"I'd hope. You almost killed him the next raid."

"I still have the tooth." Nanta grinned. It fell when she saw Hiccup's face.

"Ok first of all, ew. Second, he was unconscious for days. If his father hadn't shown up…"

"I not have this scar." She traced her finger over the scar going down the side of her face and neck. Hiccup looked at her with sadness. "You forget, I wounded just as much as your people. More." Her fingers lingered on the scar for another few seconds.

"I, I don't know what to say." Hiccup stammered. "I mean, yeah, Snotlout can be an ass sometimes, but you did almost kill him."

"I know." Nanta said flatly. There was heavy silence between them for a few minutes.

"Well, I should go." He said, standing up. He wiped his hands on his tunic and walked away. Nanta watched him go.

" _You do not like him very much, do you?_ " Racari asked one Hiccup was out of hearing.

" _Not at all_." She answered, standing up.


	10. Lovely

**A/N: sorry for not posting in a bit, I was away for a week and was otherwise engaged by school activities**.

 **\--Gobber--**

"Hey, Gobber?" He barely heard Hiccup's voice over the grinding of the stone wheel. Gobber stopped the wheel and looked up.

"Joining me for the morning?" Gobber asked, putting the sword he was sharpening on the table.

"I uh, I actually have, I have a question for you." Hiccup played with the edge of his fur vest. Gobber grunted and took a swig of water.

"Is this about the Night Furies again?" He asked, wiping his mouth with his arm and picking the sword back up.

"Um, no, actually." Hiccup looked at the ground. "It's about, it's about my lost sister." Gobber's stomach dropped to the floor.

"Hiccup." He said quietly. "You know Stoick doesn't want anyone to talk about her."

"I know, I do know, but please, just between us?" Hiccup held his hands out almost defensively. Gobber sighed.

"What's making you think of her, anyway?" He asked. The boy shrugged and looked at the floor. Gobber put the sword back on the table. And paused for a moment. "What do ya want to know?"

"Well, um. Just like, what did she look like? Was she small, like me?" Hiccup leaned back against the wall.

"There's a reason she was named Lovely." Gobber sat against the table. "Gods, she was the most beautiful babe I ever seen." He closed his eyes and smiled. "Took after your father. Fuzzy red hair, pale skin, and blue, almost gray eyes that could freeze a dragon's fire." The forge was quiet for a few moments.

"Wow. She sounds incredible."

"Aye, she was." Gobber smiled and chuckled.

 **\--Nanta--**

Nanta watched from her rock as Hiccup ran after Toothless with a saddle contraption. She couldn't help but laugh as the dragon jumped around playfully. She sketched the scene in her journal as she watched the two of them. This was a time she wanted to remember. Toothless stopped running and Hiccup managed to get the saddle and new tail on him.

She drew down the expression on Toothless' face as Hiccup scratched his neck. The boy and the dragon grew closer with every passing day. They were bonding very well, and Nanta was happy that of all the humans Toothless could have bonded with, it was this one. Hiccup reminded Nanta a lot of herself. Hiccup came over to Nanta.

"Can I see today's?" He asked, standing next to her rock. She handed the book to him. Hiccup smiled as he looked at the drawings.

"Not finished the last one." Nanta said, tapping her charcoal on the rock. Hiccup nodded.

"These are so amazing. As usual." He said, handing the book back.

"I just do to remember time. Bad at writing, so I do the drawing." Nanta rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, they're still amazing." He smiled and Nanta finished the drawing.

Today, Nanta was drawing Toothless chasing a spot of light that Hiccup was shining on the ground.

She watched as Hiccup strapped a harness contraption onto Toothless. Nanta was very curious about the invention.

"So this will let you to…" She pointed to the foot pedal.

"The tail fin, yeah." Hiccup answered, tightening a strap on Toothless' shoulder. Nanta nodded and rubbed the dragon's head as he ate some fish.

"You create like this much?" She asked, putting her hand on her injured side as it painted with dull pain.

"Like this? Not really. Most of my inventions don't work well, if at all." Hiccup stood up and dusted off his hands.

"You shown me drawings of things I never could think of." Nanta looked at Hiccup over Toothless and smiled.

"Drawing them is one thing, but actually making them, that doesn't usually end so well." Hiccup sighed. "I want to test this harness, wanna come watch?"

"Oh, no, I should stay and rest, let wound heal." She looked down at Toothless.

" _You should come along. It will be interesting to you_ " He said, swallowing a whole fish.

" _Another time, brother_." Nanta said, scratching the top of his head.

"We'll see you later, then." Hiccup got on Toothless' back. The dragon took one last bite of fish before they were headed out of the Cove.


	11. Just A Girl

**-Nanta-**

Hiccup and Toothless didn't return to the Cove until much later that night.

"Why took so long?" Nanta asked as the boy and Dragon trudged towards the cave.

"Tether hook bent, had to go into the village to fix it." Nanta couldn't help but notice how shaken up Hiccup looked.

"What spooked you?" She tossed a twig she had been playing with into the small fire.

"Oh, uh, we ran into Astrid at the forge." Hiccup rubbed the back of his head, looking at the ground.

"Oh? Who is this Astrid?" Nanta raised her eyebrows.

"No one, no one, just a girl." He stammered, eyes wide.

"'Just a girl' not make you trip like this." Nanta smiled, leaning her elbows on her knees. "Tell me about this 'just a girl'." Hiccup sighed.

"Ok, fine." He sat across from her, Toothless crawled in beside the two of them. "I've known her forever, and I've liked her for just as long." Nanta Started playing with her pendant. "It's pointless though, up until I started dragon training, I was invisible to her, I was nothing." He picked at the edge of his best, lost in thought. "It's not much different now, but now she picks on me." they sat in awkward silence for a few minutes.

"You should go sleep now." Nanta said. Hiccup nodded and stood.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." He said to both her and Toothless. Nanta nodded and Hiccup was off.

Hiccup and Toothless returned from flying after a few hours. Hiccup's hair looked crispy, but Nanta didn't pry. She was managing to somewhat properly braid her hair when Toothless gave her a big lick on her face.

" _We had the most incredible afternoon, Nanta."_ He said. " _We almost crashed into the ocean, but Hiccup saved us from the water."_

" _Oh, did he now?"_ Nanta asked, rubbing the dragon's chin. " _Does it have anything to do with why he looks half baked?"_ Toothless warbled but made to comment.

"I'm gonna head back now, want to do some work." Hiccup said, brushing off the conversation between the two.

"Alright." Nanta tied off the end of her braid and stood. Hiccup looked at her with eyes filled with guilt. "What?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"I haven't told you this, but…" He sighed, "but if I win the fight tomorrow, I 'get the honor' of killing the Monstrous Nightmare." Nanta's stomach twisted inside her. She didn't look at Hiccup, but closed her eyes. There was uneasy quiet tension.

"You will do it?" She asked, still not looking at the boy.

"No! Gods, no. I couldn't. I wouldn't be able to anyways." Hiccup sounded scared. Nanta sighed and held her pendant in a tight fist. She nodded, and Hiccup left without another word. Nanta knelt in front of Toothless.

" _I need you to do something for me, Brother."_ She said, worry in her voice.

" _What is it?"_ The dragon asked. Nanta paused for a moment.

" _If you and the boy end up finding Pitch somewhere, I need you, please, I need you to tell her to not come here."_

" _Ok, but, Nanta, why?"_ He looked at her with concern. Nanta looked into his green eyes, deadly serious.

" _I fear danger may be on its way, Racari."_ She held his head in both her hands. " _I do not want her here if she does not have a need to be."_ Toothless cooed nervously and pushed his head closer to Nanta.

" _If we see her, I will tell her. I understand and feel your fear."_ He let her stroke his head for a few minutes as they sat in silence. Both human and dragon knew they could not hide on Berk forever, they would be found eventually.

Nanta and Toothless were alerted to Hiccup's presence when he cried out in pain. They both went towards the source. Nanta's fears were confirmed when she saw a blonde girl standing over Hiccup. Her hand immediately went to her sword as Toothless pounced forward.

"Get down!" The girl shouted. "Run! Run!" She raised her axe as Nanta came up behind Toothless.

"No!" Hiccup pulled the axe from her hands and threw it aside. Nanta held her sword with both hands, crouched next to Toothless. "No. It's ok! It's ok…" The girl saw Nanta next to the dragon and looked terrified. "She's a friend." Hiccup said to the pair. Neither Nanta nor Toothless lowered their guard. Hiccup turned to the girl. "You just scared him."

"I scared him!?" Hiccup stood between Toothless, Nanta, and the blonde girl. "Who is him?" Hiccup straightened up.

"Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid." Toothless growled. "And that's Nanta." _Astrid_. The girl Hiccup had told Nanta about.

" _Racari, stand down."_ Nanta said, lowering her sword. Astrid turn and started sprinting away.

"Duh duh duh, we're dead." Hiccup said as Nanta sheathed her sword. Toothless sauntered away. "Woah woah woah, where do you think you're going?" He shouted after the dragon.

" _Racari!"_ Nanta turned to the dragon as it paused. " _You must stop her from reaching their village. Take him and go, but try not to injure the girl."_ He huffed, but turned back towards them. Nanta turned to Hiccup. "Go." She said, motioning to Toothless Hiccup nodded and ran to the dragon. Nanta watched them take off. Once she was alone, she put her hand on the aching wound on her side. Even after two weeks, it still hurt, much more than she would admit to Toothless, let alone Hiccup, who she really didn't know much at all. There was something about him, though. Something she couldn't get off her mind about him. The this was, she didn't know what was bothering her. She shook her head and went to the cave to change her bandage.


	12. LH

\--Nanta--

When Toothless landed in the Cove, Hiccup ran straight to Nanta, a mixed look of concern and happiness on his face. Nanta looked up at him briefly before looking back down at her the sketch she was working on. Hiccup sat down beside her, out of breath.

"Tell me." Nanta said, not taking her eyes off the journal.

"What?" Hiccup asked as Toothless crawled in beside him.

"Well, I figured out you won today by packed bag." She pointed to the bag by the wall, which she had brought inside. Hiccup sighed and looked at the ground. "How was, with the girl?" He smiled now, blushing.

"She uh, she kissed me."

\--Hiccup--

He looked up to see Nanta smiling softly at him. She was absently holding her pendant again. Toothless made the gutteral noises he always did when speaking to Nanta. He must have told her something bad, because her face immediately fell into a frown. She said something back, taking her hand off her necklace and closing the book on her lap. They went back and forth a few times before Nanta spoke to Hiccup.

"You are alright?" She asked him. After seeing his confused face, she continued. "The Nest, is dangerous place."

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Nanta nodded, content with Hiccup's answer. There was silence for a few moments. "What do you know about the Nest?" She froze, caught off guard by the question. "You know how to find it? Without a dragon?" She was quiet another moment.

"Yes." She nearly whispered.

"And the giant dragon? It like the queen or something?" Hiccup sat forward, enthused.

"Yes. Is our Queen." She leaned back against the wall, her side obviously still hurting her.

"Our Queen? Do you live there?" Hiccup almost missed her nod.

"She is cruel." Nanta said, venom in her voice. "I wait for the day she dies." Hiccup paused for a moment, baffled by her statement.

"So, so, when she dies, what happens? Another dragon become the queen?" Nanta looked up at Hiccup with her cold eyes.

"Not another dragon. Me." She said, matter of fact. Hiccup did a double take.

"Um what?" He asked, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Well, me and Pitch." She took hold of her necklace again. "We are second to the Queen. We are next most powerful." Hiccup stared at her with wide eyes. Toothless said something to Nanta, and she chuckled lightly before replying. There was a comfortable quiet between them for a few minutes.

"I think I'm gonna go and at least try to get some sleep." Hiccup said, standing up and dusting off his hands.

"Yes, yes." Nanta stood as well. She had a very serious look on her face. She put her left hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Luck be with you, tomorrow." He nodded solemnly as she dropped her hand, then grabbed the bag he had packed earlier that day. With one look back at Toothless and Nanta, and left the cave.

The entire walk back to the village, Hiccup could only think about one thing: the little blue stone hanging around Nanta's neck, and the little runes carved in it. LH. All of his thoughts snapped together as he worked out the puzzle. Icy blue eyes. Wild red hair. LH. Hiccup stopped walking and spoke out loud.

"Lovely Haddock."


	13. Coward

_Hello everyone!_

 _Here's a nice long chapter to make up for the shorter ones previously._

 _Enjoy!_

 **-Nanta-**

It was late morning, and Nanta was nervously sketching a new design for her helmet. Toothless was resting beside her, seemingly unaware of what Hiccup was doing. She knew, however, that the dragon was fully aware of what his rider was doing. They were both worried about Hiccup.

Nanta looked up when Toothless lifted his head, alert.

" _What is it, brother?"_ She asked, putting her journal down.

" _Hiccup."_ The dragon said. Nanta grabbed her helmet and showed as Toothless stood. She barely managed to get on his back before he bounded towards the cliff surrounding the cove. Nanta put her helmet on and held onto her sword. She managed to get her feet into the pedals on the saddle, but she had no clue how to work them. Toothless roared and clawed at the wall. He gripped the stone with his claws and pulled himself up. Nanta held on with all her might as the dragon sprinted through the forest. The arena came into view, and Toothless leapt into the air. He dove towards the chain roof covering the arena, and let out a blast at the last second. Everything grew quiet for a moment as Toothless landed on the ground, shrouded in smoke and dust. Nanta caught sight of the Nightmare just as Toothless did.

She managed to keep hold of Toothless with one hand and her sheathed sword with the other as he and the Monstrous went at each other. Toothless pushed the larger dragon away as the smoke in the arena cleared. The Nightmare backed off, and Hiccup ran to Nanta and Toothless.

"Alright, both of you, go." He said to them, grabbing onto Toothless. "Get out of here!"

"Night Fury!" Someone from the stands shouted. Nanta looked around in panic as vikings started dropping into the arena. She unsheathed her sword, dropped the sheath on the ground, and glared at them through her helmet.

"Go! GO!" Hiccup yelled at Toothless. As the vikings attacked Toothless, he reared up, throwing Nanta from his back. She rolled to a stop and managed to get her sword up just in time to block a falling axe swing. Ducking out from under it, she bounced up and dodged a hammer. "No, don't!" Hiccup shouted. "You're only making it worse!"

" _Leave, Brother!"_ Nanta yelled to Toothless. The vikings attacking her hesitated a moment, taken back by the unusual language. Toothless pounced on Stoick, and Nanta froze as he readied a blast. The entire arena froze.

"Toothless! STOP!" Hiccup yelled. Nanta heard the dragon's gas. "NO!" There was a moment of agonizing silence as Toothless stopped the blast, turning towards Hiccup. Then, only seconds after the attack had paused, the vikings began tackling Toothless. Nanta looked to Hiccup, frozen with fear. Fear for the dragon's life, and hers. She made contact with Hiccup for a second before a hammer crashed into her exposed left side. Crying out in pain, she crumpled to her hands and knees. There was no time to gain her breath from the hit, as she was pushed down to her stomach by the full weight of a viking. Her sword was ripped from her hand. Blood was pounding in her ears as her arms were pinned behind her back by large hands.

"Get her up." Nanta heard Stoick near her. Breathing hard, Nanta was lifted to her knees. Stoick grabbed her helmet and roughly pulled it off. Nanta looked up at the large man, pain and fear in her eyes. The chief seemed to hesitate for a moment before throwing the helmet to the side. Nanta's gaze was drawn to where Toothless was being wrestled into one of the cages in the Arena. She grunted and pulled against the hands holding her.

" _Brother!"_ She yelled through the pain in her ribs. It was making it difficult and painful to breathe. " _Racari!"_ She cried, struggling in the Vikings' grips. Her focus was brought back to the large man in standing in front of her when she felt the blade of a dull axe against her neck. Nanta froze, not daring the blade to mark her skin. She very slowly looked up at the Chief as Hiccup yelled from the side. Nanta had a look of utter defeat as the axe was raised to be swung. She closed her eyes and turned her head to the right. She waited, but it never came. Nanta recoiled when she heard the axe hit the stone ground, then slowly opened her eyes, tears in them. She looked first at the axe on the ground, then up at Stoick. He had grief and guilt in his eyes, no longer complete rage. He huffed and rolled his shoulders.

"Shackle and put her in a cell." His voice shook slightly as he spoke. Nanta knew they were both confused by what had just happened.

" _Coward."_ She spat, still in Dragonese. Even just by her tone, Stoick could tell she had disrespected him, she saw it in his eyes. He turned and stalked away, hands clenched in tight fists. Nanta struggled when heavy steel cuffs were being locked on her arms behind her back. The pain from her ribs was making her shake as she was lifted to her feet. She looked at Hiccup and Astrid with pain and betrayal as she was dragged out of the arena. She was led stumbling towards the docks. She kept her eyes down as they passed whispering villagers. A few who knew who she was threw rocks at her. One hit the right side of her face, just above her eyebrow. Nanta shook it off, but could feel a thin line of blood going down her temple. They began going down the walkway to the docks, but stopped at an opening in the cliff. She was led into a dark hallway to an open door on the left. They went inside the small cell, and she struggled against the hands holding her once more. Nanta was shoved forwards, but caught herself before she fell. She turned towards the door, but it was already closed, leaving her in darkness. She took a step backwards and hit the wall. Her shallow breaths hurt immensely with her injured ribs. Nanta slid down the wall and sat with her knees up. She closed her eyes, and let out a small sob.


	14. Ready the Ships

_Hi,_

 _Tis a whumpy chapter, I know. No regrets. Another long one for yall._

 _Enjoy!_

 **-Hiccup-**

Hiccup stumbled as his father shoved him into the Great Hall. He straightened up, only to have Stoick push past him.

"I should have known. I should have seen the signs." Stoick said, fuming.

"Dad." Hiccup said, his voice small.

"We had a deal!" Stoick shouted.

"I know we did... but that was before…" Hiccup paused, rubbing his face. "Ughh, it's all so messed up."

"So everything in the ring. A trick? A lie?" Stoick motioned angrily with his hands.

"I screwed up. I should have told you before now. Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please... just don't kill Nanta. Don't hurt Toothless." Hiccup had tears in his eyes as his father stared down at him.

"The dragon and Rider? That's what you're worried about? Not the people you almost killed?!" His eyes were full of rage.

"They were just protecting me! They're not dangerous." Hiccup pleaded. Stoick clenched his fists.

"They've killed HUNDREDS OF US!

"And we've killed THOUSANDS OF THEM! They defend themselves, that's all! They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves." The image of Nanta's pained look after she was hit with the hammer flashed across Hiccup's mind. "The Night Rider. Nanta," He sighed. "Dad, she's not just a killer." Stoick huffed and turned away. "I saw how you looked at her when you took her helmet off. I think you know who she could be."

"No!" Stoick roared, then faltered a step back.

"You don't want to believe it, but I think it's true. Dad, just look at her necklace." He paused when Stoick didn't say anything. "If you care, look at her necklace, and help her. She could be in danger, there's something else on their island, dad. it's a dragon like…"

"Their island?" He pointed at Hiccup accusingly, forgetting all thoughts of the Rider. "So you've been to the nest."

"Did I say nest?" Hiccup took a step back, knowing he had said too much.

"How did you find it?!" His father questioned sternly.

"No, I didn't. Toothless did. Only a dragon can find the island. And Nanta, she lives there." He shrank under Stoick's glare. His father's face turned from blind rage as he thought of an idea. "Oh no. No, Dad. No." He chased after Stoick as he walked towards the doors. "Dad. It's not what you think. You don't know what you're up against. It's like nothing you've ever seen." Hiccup grabbed his large arm, ineffectively trying to stop him. "Dad. Please. I promise you that you can't win this one." Hiccup pulled his arm as there was no answer. No. Dad. No. For once in your life, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME?!" Stoick threw Hiccup off his arm, knocking him to the ground, hard.

"You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking." Hiccup looked up at his father with scared eyes. "You're not my son." He turned and stormed out of the Great Hall, slamming the doors and leaving Hiccup in shocked silence. "Ready the ships!"

 **-Nanta-**

Nanta lifted her head as she heard movement outside her cell. She heard voices shouting to each other in the distance, and the creak of wheels on wood. She was in pain, both in her side, and her head. She had only been in the cell for less than an hour at that point, but the adrenaline had worn off. It was impossible for her to get comfortable, as her hands were still shackled behind her.

Nanta had ended up lying on the floor on the right side of her body to try and alleviate the pain in her ribs. She couldn't have been there for more than two hours total before the cell door was unlocked. She didn't look up when two large Vikings came in. She was too exhausted to struggle when they forcefully lifted her up and led her out of the cell. Each viking gripped one of her arms tight enough for it to hurt. She was led down the hall and out of the jail, where she blinked in the sun, which added to her headache. When she got used to the light, she looked down the wooden ramp to see Toothless, harnessed to a wagon. The adrenaline hit her again, and she made it as difficult as possible for the two men holding her to keep their grip. She dug her heels into the wood planks of the ramp and grunted, shaking her shoulders roughly. When that didn't work, she let them pull her further down the ramp before she kicked at the knee of the one on her right. It made contact, full force, and he cried out, instinctively letting go of her arm. She turned and whipped her other shoulder forward, ripping it out of the grip of the other viking. She was able to take a few steps away before being slammed against the cliff face harshly. She cried out as her hands were trapped between the stone and her body. The back of her head bounced off the rock painfully, and she closed her eyes tight. She struggled until she felt the tip of a blade against her neck. She opened her eyes and saw a man she feared and hated, the father of the short boy. Her eyes widened with fear, and she became motionless.

"Not this time, Rider." The man said, pressing the knife in the slightest amount. "Try that again, I'd love to kill you." He removed the knife suddenly and Nanta was grabbed once more by two vikings. She was acutely aware of the short boy's father behind her as she was led down the rest of the ramp, and to the docks. She saw Toothless chained down on the largest ship, and she was being led there as well. The Chief was standing at the back of the ship. As she was lifted onto the boat, she saw a post near the Chief, a short chain and steel ring hanging from it. She and Stoick made eye contact, and neither of them broke it as Nanta was forced to her knees nest to the post. The metal ring was opened. It was put around her neck, and her stomach dropped when she felt it lock in place. It was heavy, rough, and tight. The boat pushed off from the dock.

"Set sail!" Stoick said. "We head for Helheim's Gate." Nanta looked away from him and looked down at her pendant. The string it was on was caught on a corner of her armor. She took in a deep, painful breath, and winced as the steel ring pulled on her neck. The chain was too short for her to stand or the fully sit. She was left in an uncomfortable kneeling position. She sat up as straight as she could to try relieving the pain on her ribs.

After sailing for a while, Stoick walked up to Nanta and knelt in front of her. She looked at him with frozen eyes, and was met by an equally cold stare. After a few seconds, Stoick looked down, towards her neck. He reached out and took hold of her pendant. He looked at it for a second before his frozen gaze melted.

"Lovely." Stoick said, so quiet that Nanta almost missed it over the diner if the Vikings and ships. She looked up at him questioningly.

"Chief!" A viking called. Stoick's soft eyes hardened again. He pulled the pendant, breaking the string. He stood and walked away, leaving Nanta with tears in her eyes. Then she heard it. The call of the Queen. She looked to Toothless, who was moving his ears, listening. Nanta blocked out all other noise and focused, looking at the dragon. If he obeyed the call and directed the vikings to the Nest, it would all be over. She had to block out the call herself. A minute went by, and Stoick suddenly pushed through other Vikings and took up steering the boat. Toothless was looking in the direction of the Nest. Her thoughts were clouded, but she got one clear: _distract Brother._

" _Racari!"_ She called out, piercing the silence. " _Racari, do not listen to the call!"_ The dragon faltered, pressing his ears flat against his head. " _Brother, just listen to me. Only me. Pay no attention to the call."_

"What's she saying?" Stoick asked. The other vikings shrugged and mumbled.

" _You know what will happen to us!"_ Nanta pulled against the steel collar.

"Someone shut her up!" The Chief commanded. Nanta tensed as a man came towards her, and stood behind her. He put his hand firmly over her mouth, clamping her jaw shut. She let out a muffled cry as Toothless turned his head towards the Nest again, following the call. Nanta could no longer hold back her fear, and she began trembling in the man's hold. They sailed in near silence for only a few more minutes before they neared the Nest.

"Stay low, and ready your weapons." Stoick said quietly. The boat stopped with a jerk on the stone beach with a crunch, and the man keeping her quiet let go. Even on the edge of the island, Nanta could feel the Queen's call lessening the pain in her body. Give it a few hours at a closer distance, and it would start healing her wounds.

Stoick jumped off the side of the boat onto the beach.


	15. In Time

_Sorry for weird short chapter, wanted to get a chapter posted, and this was not my favorite thing to write._

 _Enjoy though!_

 **-Nanta-**

Preparations for war were well under way when Stoick returned to the boat. Nanta shied away from him as he lumbered towards her. The ring around her neck stopped her painfully, and she grimaced. Stoick knelt in front of her. There were no other Vikings on the boat. He held up her pendant.

"Where did you get this?" He asked sternly. Nanta didn't answer, just looked at him with confusion and fear. "I know you understand me. Where did you get this necklace?" Nanta stayed quiet. "I gave I stone like this, to someone, many years ago." He looked down, a painful memory surfacing. There was quiet for a moment.

"I… I always had it." Nanta finally said, her voice hoarse. Stoick looked up at her now with wide eyes. "It just runes."

"Not just runes, initials." He whispered, looking at the pendant. "LH. Lovely Haddock." Nanta's eyes grew wide as she pieced it together. She looked at Stoick with her eyebrows furrowed. "My daughter's initials." Nanta took in a deep breath, mind racing.

"H... how? What?" She stuttered, unsure of what to say. Stoick just sighed and reached towards her. She pulled back, but then felt that he was unlocking the steel ring. She relaxed and let it fall away from her neck. She tensed again when he took hold of her wrists. He unlocked the cuffs on them, and they hit the wooden deck with a thud. She stood slowly and they faced each other.

"I need your help now." Stoick said, guilt in his eyes.

"You shouldn't trust so fast." Nanta said, rubbing her neck, which was rubbed raw, bleeding in a few places.

"I know, but I do." He held out the necklace. Nanta reached out and cautiously took it after a moment. "Will you help us?" She paused for a moment and sighed.

"I told your son this, and now I tell you: I wish the Queen dead." She said while trying the string back around her neck. "Yes, so I will help you." She pursed her lips and let out a shrill whistle. Nanta heard the return call of her Night Fury. She smirked as Pitch flew around the side of the mountain. "In time, will help you." She waited another moment before jumping up the side of the boat and leaping off, only to be caught in the talons of her dragon. Nanta looked at Stoick as he watched her fly off. Pitch rolled and tossed Nanta up to be in the saddle. The dragon roared as she climbed higher up, to the top of the mountain. Only there did Pitch stop gaining altitude, and coasted into a cave **.**

Nanta just about fell off Pitch when dismounting. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Pitch's neck.

" _I thought you to be dead."_ Pitch said, wrapping her body around Nanta.

"" _I will be fine, Sister. I am more worried for Racari."_ Nanta said, letting go of Pitch. The dragon looked at her with concern.

" _You are hurt."_ She said, looking at Nanta's bruised and bleeding neck, and the gash on her forehead. " _And your stab wound. Nanta, you are in no condition to fight."_

" _I will be fine. I just need some rest. They do not plan to attack for another hour or so."_ She sat back against Pitch's belly, and the dragon protectively curled around her. Nanta put her head back and closed her eyes.

Nanta was woken by a crash. Her eyes shot open, and she heard another cracking noise.

" _Pitch."_ She said calmly. The dragon lifted her head lazily. " _It has begun."_ There was a another crack, then silence.


End file.
